[ad_1]
The revolution of gene editing began as soon as CRISPR, a DNA sequence discovered in some microorganisms that could splice our genetic code, was discovered. Until now, it has been used to modify the DNA of agricultural plants and animals, mosquitoes, laboratory animals and many other living things. One thing she did not usually change was a human embryo … and for good reason. DIY with the human genetic code is considered a major unethical.
Unfortunately, this did not stop a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui from the Southern University of Science and Technology, from doing it anyway.
Last year, he and his team used CRISPR to modify the binocular genes, called Lulu and Nana, and when the experiment was made public, it caused a worldwide uproar. The Chinese team insisted that the only change made was to remove a gene called CCR5, in order to make children resistant to HIV infection. Naturally born humans without CCR5 are immune to HIV.
But now, it turns out that HIV may have been only the secondary concern of the experiment. It has been reported that Lulu and Nana have also been deliberately improved in the brain, reports the MIT Technology Review.
"The answer is probably yes, it has affected their brains," said Alcino J. Silva, a neurobiologist at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Silva's laboratory at UCLA recently discovered another key role of the CCR5 gene in our brain. Apparently, CCR5 acts as a neural inhibitor that can affect your memory and your brain's ability to make new connections. When CCR5 is removed in laboratory mice, their memory and cognitive functions receive a considerable and measurable boost.
This is information to which he and the Chinese team would have had access before making their changes on Lulu and Nana. And ethical observers around the world are now looking to find out if He's original intent was to improve his brain.
In any case, the damage is already done. While cognitive improvements may seem like a good thing for some, it's important to keep in mind that such changes can lead to a slippery slope; a future where the human population will be separated between those to whom improvements have been made and those who might be considered inferior. It is also to be feared that once created super intelligent humans, this could lead to a race to biotechnology between nations, which would forever change our species unpredictably.
In addition, we already have CCR5-related HIV treatment methods that do not require any modification of anyone's genetic code. For example, there is an anti-HIV drug, maraviroc, that chemically blocks CCR5.
Studies are also underway to determine if people taking Maraviroc benefit from cognitive enhancement. These discoveries could open up new ethical perspectives, but it is an easier arena to navigate than trying to manage the challenge of genetic modification.
"Cognitive problems are one of the most important unmet needs in medicine. We need drugs, but it's another thing to take normal people and improve them with DNA or chemistry, "said Silva. "We just do not know enough to do it. Nature has found a very good balance. "
In connection with MNN:
Genetically Modified Twins from China Secretly Received Cerebral Enhancements
A controversial CRISPR experiment on humans has become even more exciting.
[ad_2]
Source link
